Circumscription and compromise: Some problems and some possibilities

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Abstract
Gottfredson's recent circumscription/compromise theory of career development is critiqued. The theory demands attention on at least five grounds, which constitute its major strengths: the combined developmental and decision‐making focus; the integration of psychological and non‐psychological influences on career development; taking the disproportionate negative aspects of choice into account; explaining some anomalous findings; and providing an account of compromise. However four major areas in which the theory is, at present, deficient were noted: lumping disparate characteristics together; a dynamic of development is missing; the compromise account is too restrictive; and the cognitive map of occupations is too inflexible. Important issues for counsellors and researchers, derived from this critique, are adumbrated.

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